Tag Archives: Term 2

Computer Graphic Design

HISTORY OF DESIGN – HELVETICA

Today we will watch Gary Hustwit’s movie Helvetica, an independent film that explores not only the history and development of the Helvetica typeface, typography and graphic design in general, but also explores the dichotomy between the adherence to established principles of design and the desire to express one’s stylistic individuality and vision.

Objective:

  • I can watch the movie Helvetica to learn about the history of typography and design, and express my thoughts on design in a brief reflection piece.

Vocabulary Words:

  • Typeface
  • Modernism
  • Post-Modernism
  • Rational
  • Humanistic

Links:

Helvetica Film Website: https://www.hustwit.com/helvetica

Topics Discussed:

  • Modernism
  • Grid Design
  • Rational
  • Post-Modernism
  • Humanist

Assignment:

  1. Today and Tuesday, we will watch Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica, an outstanding independent film that documents the development of the typeface Helvetica as well as the history of graphic design as we know it today. We will watch the first half today, and the second half on Tuesday.
  2. Despite its original intent, Helvetica is a typeface that inspires strong opinions in graphic designers, both positive and negative. As you watch, notice how incredibly common the use of the typeface really is, and ask yourself how the sheer ubiquity of its presence makes you feel about Helvetica. Do you love it, do you hate it, or are you somewhere in between?
  3. Helvetica also explores the historical (and ongoing) struggle between the Rationalists who invented the principles of design that we studied earlier this year (and continue to use today) and championed the development and use of Helvetica, and the Post-Modernists who completely rebelled against these rules and sought to create type using anything except Helvetica. Which side do you prefer? Are you a structured rule-follower or a dynamic rule-breaker?
  4. Keep these ideas in mind as you watch, and we will write a brief reflection on Wednesday to explore these ideas further. Enjoy the show!

Posted: November 21st, 2022

Computer Graphic Design

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP – PHOTOSHOP DISASTER RECOVERY 2022

Objective:

I can use Photoshop image repair tools to fix a “Photoshop Disaster”.  

Links:

Google Image Search Result: “Photoshop Fail”

Topics Discussed:

  • Photoshop Disasters
  • Photoshop Image Repair

Assignment:

In our last assignment, we tested our acquired Photoshop skills by building a composite image using several smaller images. Today, we are going to look at some examples of Photoshop alterations gone horribly wrong. By the end of the week, we are going to use our skills to recover some of these “Photoshop Disasters”.  

  1. Visit the link above, or do a Google search for “Photoshop Disasters”. Look through the examples of “Photoshop Disasters”, have a good laugh, and select one that you think you can correct using the image repair techniques we have studied in class. (Keep it school appropriate!)
  2. Save a copy of this photo to your Documents, and open it in Photoshop.
  3. Apply whatever modifications you feel are necessary to make the image look more realistic, or to fix the obvious problem. The final image should look more realistic than the original, so pay close attention to detail. The final image should be realistic and convincing, not just “less bad”.
  4. Save your corrected image with a different filename than the original.
  5. Create a new InDesign document. Save it with your name and “Photoshop Disaster Recovery”.
  6. Place both the original image and your corrected version into the InDesign document. Label the original and the corrected version, and use lines and shapes to point out exactly where the changes were made.
  7. On the same page, write a few sentences explaining the exact process you followed to correct the image in Photoshop. Use the correct terminology and tool names. (Did you use the Healing Brush Tool? The Spot Healing Brush Tool? The Patch Tool? Did you use a Lasso Selection? A Quick Selection? The Magic Wand? Did you have to manipulate Layers? Did you have to flatten Layers? Did you have to Scale portions of the image?)
  8. When you are satisfied with the images and your explanation, Export the InDesign document as a High Quality Print format .PDF (File -> Adobe PDF Presets -> High Quality Print) and save the resulting .PDF file to your Desktop. You will turn in this file with the original and corrected images. Note: If you do this correctly, you do not need to turn in the .indd file!
  9. Save both your original and corrected image, and the High Quality .PDF file (3 files total) into a new folder with your name on it, and upload a copy of all three to today’s Google Classroom assignment post  by end of day on Friday, November 18th.

Assigned: November 15th, 2022
Teacher Pacing Due Date: November 18th, 2022